Celeb Secrets Country chatted with Buddy Brown about his new EP, I Call BS On That, which just debuted at number 1 on iTunes Top Country Albums chart.
Buddy Brown is a family man who tells it how it is; he is one of the most honest artists in country music!
One of the most impressive things about his new EP is that he wrote every single song on it. From playing football at Mississippi to touring with artists such as Justin Moore, Jon Pardi, Chase Rice, Brothers Osborne, Chris Young, and many more, Buddy Brown is a well-versed country guy.
We recommend you check out his new music, which you can purchase on iTunes here and stream on Spotify here.
Celeb Secrets Country: Your single, “I Call BS On That,” has been blowing up! How do you feel about that?
Buddy Brown: “Its been surreal, I still flew coach on Southwest coming up here, so there is still room for improvement. Its been really cool, I wrote that and then did it on my tailgate in about 5 to 10 minutes. I just thought that this is just something that I can put out there for a few thousand people. Its really really crazy.”
Celeb Secrets Country: How did you choose all of the songs for your EP?
Buddy Brown: “Basically I wanted a good mix. If you listen to it, its definitely some campfire music for me and all my buddies to listen to, but I also wanted to put some stuff in for girls as well. I just want it to be relatable to everybody.”
Celeb Secrets Country: “Junior” is so catchy! Do you have a favorite song off of it?
Buddy Brown: “I love “Down in New Orleans” and “Bounty Hunter!” My granddad was a cowboy in Oklahoma, and all of my favorite movies have John Wayne in them, so I wrote “Bounty Hunter.””
Celeb Secrets Country: Why did you go in to country music?
Buddy Brown: “I wanted to write the songs that I wanted to hear on the radio. That made me so excited to be the one to put those songs out there.”
Celeb Secrets Country: If you could relate your self to any other country artist, who would you say that you are most similar to?
Buddy Brown: “I went on tour with Justin Moore last year and we probably vibed better than anything. He’s just as stubborn as me and doesn’t care what others think. What you see is what you get, and we’re both like that! He was a great fit.”
Celeb Secrets Country: You have toured with some great country acts such as Chase Rice, Jon Pardi, and a bunch of others. What was one thing you learned while on tour with those artists?
Buddy Brown: “Just to really be true to your fans. Its about the music, but also about how much you can pour in to your fans before and after the show. With my band, we go out and have a pick up football game before every single show, and we invite fans to come and join. It’s a really cool way that we like to hang around fans and make yourself approachable, these people are funding your whole career and your dreams, so why would you not?”
Celeb Secrets Country: Do you connect with your fans through social media often?
Buddy Brown: “Yeah, that’s how it all started! So back in 2009 when it started, and really in 2014 when it took off, every personal message that comes in, I answer. Its always been a very important thing when your friends can just shoot you a message- a lot of them are just nothing, ‘here’s me sitting on the front porch drinking a beer,’ like alright cool. But a lot are like, ‘hey I’m really going through some stuff and your song brought me through it,’ and sometimes as an artist you don’t even know how your song could help someone so much, but thank God it did. Its very humbling, and then you start thinking of the responsibility, if you start answering every message, that’s the message that you’re trying to put out there, then you absolutely need to live up to it and go beyond it. It makes you step up, and it’s a good thing. When you step up you get to become that guy that you hope you are. I’m a better songwriter and a better performer because fans let you know what they want.”
Celeb Secrets Country: What is the most rewarding part about being a country artist?
Buddy Brown: “Selfishly, I’d have to say that being on some of these stages, like how the heck did I get here? I’ve gotten to play at Talladega twice, in front of 20,000 people, I’ve been on tour with Justin Moore, Jon Pardi, and so many others and you sit there and look around and wonder how it is happening. Just being able to go do sound check and you hear your voice bouncing off of the rafters of an arena, its just weird. Especially when you started off in bars.”
Celeb Secrets Country: What was the turning point in your career when you saw that this was going to be something great?
Buddy Brown: “My turning point was probably my Keepin’ It Country EP in 2014. When I wrote “If This Country Still Had Balls,” I also had a lyric video for that with over 4 million views. It wrapped me up for what people knew me for- writing songs that people wouldn’t put out on the radio. Everyone is thinking it, I just said it, kind of thing.”
Celeb Secrets Country: Did you always want to be a country artist?
Buddy Brown: “I was always very in to sports, I played football at Mississippi State, and so I was always athletic and music based. We’ve got videos of me singing George Strait at the table at Thanksgiving. So its always been written in my DNA I think, but after college, yeah it really started to come to life, it was something I couldn’t shake anymore. You don’t choose it, you really don’t. It keeps you awake at night, it doesn’t let you think about anything else.”
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Celeb Secrets Country: Are you close to your family and do they influence your music at all?
Buddy Brown: “My wife is my number 1, there’s not a song that goes through that hasn’t been tried out by her and I can tell by her expressions if it sucks or not. My wife and a lot of my friends and my boys, if they don’t dance to the song, its not up to par. I never want to write something that doesn’t represent who I am.”
Celeb Secrets Country: If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
Buddy Brown: “I would say Eric Church. I’ve never met him, but his music has always been something that I have understood from day 1. A lot of my music is down that alley. If we were going to write a song, he would be the one, he’s like a legend now. I saw him when he was in concert in Florida in 2006 for about 50 or 60 people and the best concert ever. My buddy looked at me and told me the next time we see him it would be at an arena. My favorite songs by him are “These Boots” or “Pledge Allegiance To The Hag.””
Celeb Secrets Country: Do you have any advice to aspiring artists?
Buddy Brown: “Stick to your guns. I’ve taken the longer path, it took years and years and years rather than just coming here to Nashville and signing with a label who just blows you up too big too fast. I was able to take the longer path, stick to my guns, and do what I wanted to do, there is just no better feeling than knowing that these songs on my EP, that debuted at number 1, no committee approved all of those songs, it was just songs from my heart that I just wanted to share. It is such a happy feeling. Its really important to have a good support network.”
Celeb Secrets Country: Do you have any funny stories from being on the road?
Buddy Brown: “When I was on tour with Justin Moore in Little Rock, Arkansas, we got back to the hotel at 1 or 2 in the morning. You’re just delirious and out of it, I go back to the room and I take a shower and I realize all of my bags and clothes are still in the van. When you’re performing, everything is filthy and you can’t put your clothes back on. I head out to the Super 8 hotel parking lot wearing nothing but a bath towel and these boots. My band to this day is mad that they didn’t get a photo opportunity. Very strange catcalls.”
Celeb Secrets Country: Since we are Celeb Secrets Country, do you have any secrets or fun facts about yourself that you’d like to share with us?
Buddy Brown: “I coach my two little boys’ flag football team every Saturday. I have a 6 year old and a 7 year old, one is the bobcats and one is the bulldogs and we coach 9 and 10 o’clock. I am way more in to it than I should be because I am the biggest college football fan in the world and some parents have to calm me down and remind me that LSU scouts are not there on the sidelines. But yeah, I do that and I think being that close to family and never hitting the pause button as a dad is so important to me.”